Newest member on MINI lineup will be an electric car

Peter Schwartzenberg, BMW's board member in charge of MINI, previously announced that MINI will be further modifying its business approach and will primarily focus on its "superhero" models.

For now, only 4 models have been unveiled to the public, but the 5th member is still shrouded in mystery. Only recently it has been rumoured that the 5th "superhero" in the likeness of an EV will supposedly launch in 2019, or so the sources say.

In previous months, the British automaker was developing and testing a pure electric vehicle but it is not certain if it will be launched to the global market as a volume unit or if it is intended as a niche model in selected regions, but it seems it will be the former.

Sebastian Mackensen, global head of MINI, spoke to Automotive News at the newly concluded New York Auto Show last week and mentioned that the up and coming automobile will be unveiled to the public around the year 2019 and it will not just be an electric vehicle but will be so much more. He further exclaimed that the electric car is not just for the purpose of having it so you can say that you have an electric car but nobody really buys it. The 5th "superhero" is considered a real car and they are hopeful that consumers will take it seriously and purchase it.

After Mr Mackensen's confirmation that the new "superhero" vehicle will be built as an EV, we can't help but think of what type of car the 5th "superhero" will be built on? This will be a rather hard choice for the British marque, and by now, different automakers are struggling to keep up with the current market circumstances, given that Europe and China are tightening their emission standards to counteract worldwide air pollution.

Ever since the demand for SUVs has been skyrocketing, the British automaker that is well known to manufacture small, easy to run automobiles have been pushed to alter their ways. The change became evident with the launch of the latest Countryman, considered as the largest model that MINI ever built, a vehicle that can overshadow its older brothers in size.

For now, it is still hard to determine what MINI will choose for its incoming EV. The only EV that it has ever released was the Superleggera, a roadster that is aesthetically stunning. The Superlegerra is now doing well in the market and the chances of it being the newest addition to the line-up is rather dim.

Furthermore, the electric vehicles are now all the buzz in the market, so MINI is also hoping that the demand for EVs will continue so that it can return to the game and hit record sales in upcoming years. Previous reports indicate that Mini EV wouldn't be made in its homestead due to Brexit. However, VLD Nedcar is the most likely to be chosen to build the newest model.